A Third Woman Accuses Brett Kavanaugh
[guest post by Dana]
A third accuser has come forward to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying “he was physically abusive toward girls in high school and present at a house party in 1982 where she says she was the victim of a “gang” rape.” Michael Avenatti is representing the woman, Julie Swetnick. I’m quoting from the Washington Post’s report about the claims, but with this caveat, per the Washington Post:
The Post has not independently verified her allegations regarding President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.
The New York Times added a similar caveat to their report about Swetnick’s allegations, as well:
None of Ms. Swetnick’s claims could be independently corroborated by The New York Times, and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, declined to make her available for an interview.
Not a judgment on the underlying claims, but worth noting that unlike the first two allegations against Kavanaugh, this one is not coming through a news story that was reported out and vetted by journalists.
(Which is amusing in that Kavanaugh himself was vetted six times by the FBI and yet, here we are…)
Perhaps the biggest caution is that this latest allegation involves Michael Avenatti.
Anyway, make of it what you will:
In a declaration, Julie Swetnick, who attended Gaithersburg High School, said she observed Kavanaugh drinking excessively at house parties and engaging “in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls.”
Swetnick said she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others to get girls inebriated so they could be “gang raped” in side rooms at house parties by a “train” of numerous boys.
“I have a firm recollection of seeing boys lined up outside rooms at many of these parties waiting for their ‘turn’ with a girl inside the room. These boys included Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh.”
…
In her declaration, Swetnick recounts an alleged incident in approximately 1982 in which she says she was the victim of a “gang rape” at which Kavanaugh was present.
She does not say Kavanaugh participated in the alleged rape or what, if any, role he played, nor does she say where the alleged episode took place.
“During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me,” Swetnick says. “I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking.”
Here is the affidavit:
Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) September 26, 2018
Specifics:
“I also witnessed efforts by Mark Judge, Brett Kavanaugh and others to cause girls to become inebriated and disoriented so they could then be “gang raped” in a side room or bedroom by a “train” of numerous boys. I have firm recollection of seeing boys lined up outside rooms at many of these parties waiting their “turn” with a girl inside the room. These boys included Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh.”
In 1982, I became the victim of one of these “gang” or “train” rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present. Shortly after the incident, I shared what had transpired with at least two other people. During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys who were raping me. I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking.
Kavanaugh has denied the allegations, saying he doesn’t even know who Swetnick is, and that it never happened:
This is ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone. I don’t know who this is and this never happened,”
A couple of points: If you read the affidavit, Swetnick said she attended “over ten house parties” during 1981-1982 where these alleged “gang rapes” were taking place. It doesn’t seem reasonable that a young woman who was upset by what was happening would not only continue to go to parties where “gang rapes” were happening, but also apparently never notified the authorities or any other adults about it. If girls were being regularly victimized, she just let it go on without saying anything to anyone, or without at least warning the “especially vulnerable” or “shy” girls? While I understand an individual being reluctant, or even so traumatized as to be unable to report her own attack, it doesn’t make sense that Swetnick would not, at the very least, step in to protect other girls from having this happen to them. Even anonymously contacting the authorities. Also, by virtue of her statement, if it’s true, just how many victims and assailants are out there?
–Dana